PARK AND C E ME TER} 
161 
tie slopes and comparatively level plains, 
lending themselves most accommodatingly 
to the accomplishment of the beautiful, 
with little trouble, expense or serious de- 
mands on the creative genius of the land- 
scape gardener except as he is limited by 
the restrictions of cemetery conditions, 
which preclude the opportunities and free- 
dom afforded in the park for broad ar- 
tistic and natural effects, which may only 
be attained approximately by a due appre- 
ciation of requirements and the skillful ex- 
ercise of a thorough knowledge of the art 
of landscaping in the cemetery. How well 
that has been accomplished in Forest 
Home the writer must modestly leave to 
the judgment of the visitor and critic, but 
he can authoritatively say from an experi- 
ence of thirty-four years in Forest Home 
that it is no simple problem, easy of solu- 
tion even under favorable conditions, to 
produce a bit of nature or create a beauti- 
ful landscape and maintain it with any ap- 
proach to the ideal and have the grounds 
satisfactorily serve their purpose as a rest- 
ing place for the dead. 
The park-like approach to the main en- 
trance of the cemetery, extending 200 feet 
from the street to the gates, has a very 
pleasing effect and is much admired. The 
broad avenue, 55 feet in width, flanked on 
both sides by a generous stretch of lawn 
and a liberal planting of trees and shrubs 
arranged in irregular groups and borders 
which effectually hide the iron picket 
j fences in the background, is designed to 
give a broad and bold effect and an air of 
quiet dignity and repose. 
Continuing beyond the gates into the 
j grounds, the same width of avenue is 
maintained for some distance until it is 
i lost to sight behind the thick planting of 
| trees and shrubbery as it gracefully curves 
to the right and is divided on either side 
of the pyramidal rock fountain (a central 
feature at that point) into considerably 
narrower avenues, gradually diminishing 
in width as they lead away to the east and 
west and by a series of ramifications in all 
directions throughout the grounds. 
The avenues in general are very gener- 
ous in width, the average being about 25 
WATER VIEW IN FOREST HOME. 
GROUND. 
feet; nowhere are they less than 16 feet, 
and in places the principal avenues, made 
very wide because the traffic seemed to de- 
mand it, are now being narrowed to a 
maximum width of 25 feet and the margins 
laid out in grass are being utilized as plant- 
ing spaces, affording excellent opportunity 
for an irregular bordering and grouping 
of dwarf shrubbery, very pleasing from a 
landscape point of view and very effective 
in some places as a screen to partially hide 
an obtrusive multiplicity of monuments and 
other stone work, or break an objectional 
vista. 
Deciduous shrubs of all kinds, adapted to 
the climate, and some dwarf conifers are 
freely planted throughout the grounds, lot 
owners in general co-operating liberally in 
the general decorative scheme by a proper 
embellishment of their own lots with ap- 
propriate shrubs and hardy plants. 
Flowering and other decorative bedding 
plants are extensively used to embellish 
the grounds at the expense of the cemetery 
and flower beds and vases are adopted to a 
considerable extent for the decoration of 
UNIQUE STONE GROTTO IN BACK- 
individual lots at the expense of the lot 
owners. 
In the general care of the cemetery the 
grounds are kept clean, leaves raked, etc., 
and the grass is kept quite short by fre- 
quent mowing, an attempt being made to 
go all over the grounds once every week, 
and when necessary all spaces reserved for 
ornamental purposes are freely watered. 
All lots in the cemetery are given this 
general care, except that no watering is 
done unless it is ordered and paid for by 
the lot owners. 
The water works system, ramifying all 
improved sections of the cemetery; an 
abundant supply of water from the city 
service and two artesian wells on the 
grounds provide ample facilities for sprink- 
ling the lawn and a supply of water wher- 
ever needed. Self-closing hydrants are lo- 
cated at convenient distances for the con- 
venience of lot owners. Hose connections 
below the surface of the ground are so 
situated that from 50 to 150 feet of hose 
will reach all points to be watered. It i- 
planned to so arrange the system ultimatelv 
that lines of hose 50 feet in length will 
suffice. 
Approaching the entrance, the first ob- 
ject which particularly attracts our atten- 
tion is the new office or administration 
building, completed in the fall of 1909 at 
an approximate cost of $30,000. It is 
situated to the right and a little removed 
from the gates. The building is a large 
and substantial structure of Gothic archi- 
stone in rough ashler. The interior is com- 
tecture, built of Lake Superior brown sand- 
modious and the arrangement for ultility 
and comfort convenient, very effective, and 
considered beautiful. It may be said in all 
candor that few cemetery offices anywhere 
fled and pleasing external appearance and 
excel this building in its simp’e but digni- 
especially in the well arranged interior 
SHOWING UNUSUAL TREATMENT OF ENTRANCE. SET BACK FROM THE 
STREET. 
